Call to scrap London taxi driver 'Knowledge' test per BBC News

Apparently:

'The test which all black cab drivers in London must pass to secure a licence should be scrapped, according to the capital's Conservatives.

The Greater London Authority Tories called the test - known as the Knowledge - "archaic" and a "major barrier" for recruitment.

The exam requires drivers to learn 25,000 street names.

Drivers' representatives said they were "stunned and shocked" by the suggestion.

The Saving An Icon report by Richard Traceyfound black cab drivers needed to make "fundamental changes" to keep up with the "increasingly popular app-based private hire firms" in an expanding city.'

More here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-35065681

The licenced London taxi is more than an institution, it's a guarantee that the driver will know where he's going. A sat nav can guide a driver but it's not as good as a driver with the knowledge of London.

How many times have you sat in a minicab behind a driver who clearly doesn't know where he is, where he's going or how to get from one to the other; all he knows is on that 5" screen in front of him and heaven help you if there's a traffic problem to navigate around.